It's not just about flowers. 

Our high profile, the wonderful comments and the success we have achieved, not only fuels our enthusiasm but it has inspired others to get involved in many ways.

Goodly Dale School Garden Club

It was 5 years ago that the Head, Mrs Penny Henderson (now retired) sowed the thought of a Goodly Dale Garden Club after some builders had left a heap of soil in a sunny convenient spot next to the school hall.  It has not been a fast TV makeover garden of raised beds, established and expense; but one that has grown, from gifts from parents and friends of tools, seeds, plants, paving and further building leftovers and the patience and time of the children.

In September 2009 the children (21 this year with an age range of 5 to 10) wrote down on a paper leaf what they would like to grow and the teachers try to full fill that wish!  The children gave up one of their dinner playtimes once every three weeks and the aim is for all to sow, plant and take some of the harvest home, but most important to cultivate an enjoyment of growing and working in the garden.  This year every child should savour potatoes and onions, and hopefully pick some sweet peas and chrysanthemums.  Our herb garden has continued to be planted up in an old tractor tyre, so we sit and sample the different scents.  The school gardens organically, produce their own compost and belong to the "Duchy Originals Garden Organic for Schools" which provides seeds, news letters and help!  The children have visited Matson Ground walled vegetable garden, the delightful colourful Lakeland Horticultural Gardens at Holehird.  Planting of raspberry canes and the establishment of a small herbaceous border has been undertaken.

Public Conveniences

The Community Payback work was completed recently and they have painted the outsides and I think insides of all our toilets – 7 blocks managed by the Bowness and Windermere Community Care Trust.  We have a scheme called “Loo Ambassadors” which is getting off the ground. So far, it has been focussed on local businesses being key holders and opening up the toilets. But, it is expanding into the areas around the toilets and how they look. We have one volunteer who is going to prune all shrubs surrounding two of the toilet blocks and the brashings are being removed free of charge by a local company. We are about to send out letters to a number of community groups asking them to become sponsors and loo ambassadors (eg the scouts maybe doing some pruning or planting, etc, etc). The idea is to adopt the space and take pride in our public conveniences, which have been returned to the community to run.

Orrest Head Improvements

The Orrest Head projects aim is to improve the signage at the bottom and the viewfinder at the top, which is a disgrace. The sign for the bottom is almost ready and is a vast improvement. It will go up in 2012. I have quotes in for a lovely black slate viewfinder on top. The exciting thing is that we have gone into partnership with the Wainwright Society and they are not only wanting to provide funding but also get us access to Wainwright’s original drawing from Orrest Head (to use for the viewfinder) and permission to use the Wainwright script, all of which needs permission from the family. They are very excited about it all, with Orrest Head holding the sentimental place it does in all Wainwright fans hearts and want to make a big thing of the unveiling which should happen in 2012.

St. Mary's Nursery and Infant School

In 2011 the children with the assistance of Kevin Holmes replaced an old silver birch that was dangerous with a young 8ft high silver birch in their grounds and are planting 50 Hornbeam 3-4ft high around a new outdoor learning decked area.

Wild about Wildflowers

Wild about Wildflowers will see hundreds of communities across the UK sowing wildflowers to boost colour and biodiversity in summer 2012. This nationwide “in Bloom” celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will take place at the start of the first ever RHS National Gardening Week, on 14 - 15 April.

Registered groups can apply for a free pack of cornfield annuals to cover an area 10m2*. Seeds are provided by environmental charity Landlife, and are suitable for planting in managed environments only across the UK. The Windermere In Bloom Advisory Group have already applied for the pack and will be looking for support from the community in the preparation of the soil and planting of the seeds.

The wildflowers included in the pack are:

• Corn Poppy

• Corn Marigold

• Corn Chamomile

• Corn cockle

• Cornflower

The Windermere Food Group

The Food Group is a sub-group of Towards a Community Transition in Windermere. It launched a 'Fruity Windermere!' project at the Big Green Event, organised by TACT in September last year. The Mayor planted a Westmorland Damson tree in the Goodley Dale school grounds, reading a self-penned poem for the occasion.

The aim of Fruity Windermere! is to increase the amount of fruit grown in Windermere Parish. There are three elements within the project: public spaces, business premises and private gardens.

The group has recently been working with Windermere Fire Station staff and has planted six fruit bushes in the station grounds. The Group members plus a fireman and his son helped with the planting. The bushes should start producing fruit next season. 

The next projects involve the library gardens and the land around a housing complex. The Group will be working with local young residents and young people on these plantings, later this year. 

Another project running currently is the schools strawberry project, which Hayes Gardenworld has kindly agreed to sponsor. Every junior school child received a strawberry plant and a pot from Hayes. The project involved the children decorating their pots, and were then helped to plant the strawberries in them by Food Group members and Hayes staff. The children were invited to keep a 'diary' about the development of the plant, and including strawberry artwork, poems, jokes, recipes, etc. These will be judged and Hayes has kindly agreed to give a fruit tree to each school, as well as prizes for the diaries.

Finally, the Group will again be present at the Big Green Event in September 2012. Members will be talking to people about food growing, and selling fruit and herbs to raise money for the project.

Community Projects